Courts / Offaly / Report
'I'll kill you all': halting site firearms conviction 'perverse', lawyers argue
Summary
In 2021 Simon Quilligan was jailed for six years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life at a halting site where he threatened to kill people. He had earlier been found not guilty of attempted murder and of endangerment from a reckless discharge of a firearm. The Court of Appeal heard that the conviction for the firearm offence was "perverse" because the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove possession of a live weapon. Quilligan's lawyers argued that witnesses could not see or hear a gun, that no firearm residue or silencer was found, and that the evidence was inconsistent with the acquittals of the other charges. The appeal was heard by a three‑judge panel, with the judge noting that the case would be decided at a later hearing. The article reports only the arguments and the pending decision, not a verdict.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'I'll kill you all': halting site firearms conviction 'perverse', lawyers argue. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted
When:
- March 2021 Incident
- December 2020 Incident
- May 5, 2018 Incident
- 2023-04-25 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Acquitted
Outcome: Acquitted; Simon Quilligan, who was found not guilty of an attempted murder at the site, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life at the same location. Mr Justice MacGrath sentenced Quilligan to eight years' imprisonment with the final two years suspended for possession of the firearm with intent to endanger life, to two years for the two counts of threat to kill or cause serious harm and to six months for the criminal damage, with all terms to run concurrently.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
- Arden Way
- Blackberry Lane
- Athlone
Topics
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